The Sarojin – a place you can only imagine

“If you can imagine it, we can make it happen”, says Justin and pours us another glass of prosecco as we watch the sunset above the Andaman sea. The entire scenery is completely unreal. Here we are, Bea and I, sitting at a beautiful private beach on gorgeous design beach chairs, set up for us especially to enjoy the sun hit the ocean while the sky turns orange and pink. Responsible for this fantastic start into an even better evening is Justin, the activities manager at the Sarojin, a luxury hotel resort in Thailand’s Khao Lak, that’s invited us over for 2 days during our recent trip throughout Thailand.

Unlike most hotels, the Sarojin is much more than just a place to rest your head – it is an experience. Every smile from the 200 people strong staff, every banana tree you randomly find outside your room, the seemingly endless (and often free) activities on offer let you know that there is really not much reason to ever leave this resort.

From the moment you set foot into the large, quiet and ultra-green area, you feel at peace with the world. Sipping on your welcome refreshment drink in the beautiful lobby, overviewing the stunning central green field with 2 large water ponds, decorated with white water lilies, you know that your holiday has begun. There is something in the air at the Sarojin, that has you relaxed in no time…

The Sarojin offers 3 types of accomodation: the garden residence, the pool residence (where you get your own pool in the backyard of your cabin) and finally the suite, a grand apartment style type of accomodation with a large living room, a terrace with a small pool and the a bathroom as big as the bedroom. In fact, all cabins at the Sarojin have huge bathrooms, which always come with 2 showers and a very big bathtub…

While the resort is currently operating in its 7th year, one could easily be tricked into believing that it’s brand new. This is mostly down to the fact that during one month each year, the entire place gets completely revamped, with many things like matrasses and bathroom features getting replaced for new ones. The owners Kate and Andrew Kemp, a British expat couple, and their staff maintain this place with lots of love to detail and the highest concern for the welfare of their guests. It would take too long to tell you everything that is being done at the Sarojin to keep both employees and guests happy at all times, but you can surely take our word for it.

We loved our room and were happy just to stay in bed all day, but if anything can make us go outside it’s food. And so we launched into our day with breakfast at the main restaurant The Ficus …

Breakfast here is served à la carte and all day long. Choose as much as you like from the extensive menu. What about some scrambled eggs with baby spinach, parmesan cheese and truffle oil? Maybe along with a side of salmon or Parma ham? Or rather go with something sweet and opt for the vanilla waffle with fresh fruit and cream? If you can imagine it, it’s probably on the menu…

Now take all that amazing food and imagine having it under an age-old giant Ficus tree, the very heart of the resort, with lianas hanging down and growing roots in a large water pond….

…with this being your view.

Yes, the Sarojin manages to take your breath away with oh so many details. Two days there were not nearly enough and with the incredible beach waiting for you or the olympic sized pool nestled in between palm trees, it’s a tough choice to make whether you will go out diving, grab a free rental bike to head over to the nearby waterfall, ride into town on a scooter, take a cooking class, enjoy an award-winning spa treatment or engage in one of the many other activities on offer.

We for one simply could not resist the large, gorgeous pool…

For a moment we were tempted to set up camp at one of the three pool island pavillions, but then went for the more modest locations underneath the trees. Fresh towels were already waiting and complementary ice-cooled water and fresh watermelon were served as soon as we had picked our spot.

The pool really is incredible, a real competitior for the equally stunning private beach, set along an 11 km long stretch of perfect white sand and impeccably clean turquoise water. Needless to say that the VIP treatment one receives by the pool, continues here with a friendly face bringing you fresh towels and cocktails whenever you please…

I’m one of the few girls on this planet who are not too keen on hanging out at the beach, because frankly I think it often gets boring too fast. Not such at this one though, because the Sarojin offers their guests free use of a kayak to go out and explore the rest of the shore, windsurfing or even a small catamaran.

Getting hungry? At the nearby outdoor beach restaurant “The Edge” they serve up delicious Thai and Fusion Cuisine, not to mention excellent cocktails. They do serve you on your beach chairs, so no need to even get up…

The Ficus, as well as The Edge, opens all day long and, aside from breakfast, also offers lunch and dinner. Sitting outside is magical, but if it ever rains, your indoor alternative is just as beautiful…

Evenings at the Sarojin often come with a special program. Unless you’ve booked the highly recommended Sunset Cruise or the romantic private dinner by the beach, you may want to explore what the always changing evening program at the Sarojin has on offer that night. In our case we had the chance to assist an incredible live-cooking, Asian fusion dinner buffet with a great Thai live-band performing anything from traditional Thai songs to the classics of modern pop music. Just imagine listening to Lady Gaga on a panflute….

As yet another highlight at the end of the night, we were invited to send a nightlight off into the sky. We made a wish and then let go. Fingers crossed our wishes will come true.

As a perfect ending to a perfect day, we could not resist but take a last dip into the pool for some final rounds of night-swimming…

You might have noticed by now that the Sarojin is an incredibly romantic place to stay. It comes as no surprise that this is a prime spot for newly-weds to come and spend their honeymoon, but we also met women on a girlfriend getaway and some couples just getting away from business for a while.

The Sarojin has not seen the last of me and is now enlisted as my top 3 most romantic holiday breaks. It’s also an ideal place for all those who’ve been backpacking across Thailand and wish to end their stay with a truly relaxing few days in paradise.

Author:

Katja

Katja Hentschel founded travelettes.net after successfully completing a year of backpacking the world in heels. Her favorite modes of transportation are helicopters and jetskis and she would always trade a 5-course meal at a fancy restaurant for a hot soup at a Thai roadside kitchen. Give her a camera and a high five and she will go out and find adventure.
Get in touch with her at katja@travelettes.net